Quote of the Week

To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them ~

~Elliott Erwitt

 

Whenever I go to a shoot, I will usually spend some time just looking around.  In fact, I do a lot of looking around during my photo shoots.  The reason is that I'm not just looking for some general backdrop but am looking for that "sweet spot", that feeling of knowing something special in that spot or that pose, or just that moment.  Some of the simplest of places can house the greatest photographs.  It's not where you photograph, but how you see that spot and how you take the photograph which will determine it.  I've had clients dismiss their own backyard because it's too plain, but honestly, there's just so many possibilities even in the smallest of spaces.  I also pay attention to where I am positioned in regards to the subject.  In photography, you should always try to steer away from shooting at the general photograph-taking position of "your eye level while standing".  Lay on the ground and shoot at worms eye view, even if that means getting yourself wet and muddy in the process.  Stand up on a ladder, balcony, way up high and shoot downward on your subject.  Shoot from many yards away with the brush framing the subject.  Look for those natural frames that Mother Nature created.  Shoot just part of a person's face or if you're shooting a child with their parent, shoot from the child's point of view and only capture part of the parent.  The main point is to just go beyond the realms of your normal view and find your inspiration!